Latvia’s experience in e-career counselling

BLOG, EMPLOYMENT, LATVIA

Get to know Latvia’s experience in e-career counselling

The main objectives of the MOTIV-ACTION project are to develop the content of a training course that will support low-skilled adults and increase their competitiveness in the labour market. In order to create the content of this training course, it is necessary to identify the existing tools, methods, techniques and other digital solutions that are already working well and are recognized as purposeful and effective. Based on this compilation, the project will form the basis of the training course. Below we offer a closer look at examples of Latvian good practices in the field of various career choice services, job search and support services.

General situation in Latvia among the career guidance specialists

In order to identify and summarize the general situation in Latvia, a survey was sent out among all LKAAA members to assess the availability and practical use of digital tools in career counselling, as well as to find out the opinion and attitude of specialists towards various digital solutions and their usefulness.

Most respondents noted that for them using tools such as Zoom, MS Teams, WhatsApp and other tools for video conferences is enough to provide a “necessary minimum” of career support such as consultations. And at the same time there is a gap in availability of different tools that can be used in the evaluation and assessment process. Career counsellors either don’t have free tools or tools paid by their employers, or don’t have enough knowledge where to find the right tools or they have low computer and Internet using skills. Learn more about the research.

Good practices in e-guidance in Latvia

From Latvia there are collected 5 success stories from the representatives of different institutions’ – national agencies and private sector organisations. Each organisation that participated in this activity is successfully providing services for different target groups, and they are all united by career guidance service providing, job search and/or skills training to help their clients, directly or indirectly, to integrate into the labour market. Some of collected good practice’s examples are provided in digital environment for several years already, some of them became digital because of the pandemic.

Organizations that participated:

Social integration state agency (social and vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities), professional assessment service https://www.siva.gov.lv/en

Riga Technical University’s Career Support and Services Unit, Student Service Department (cooperation and communication between universities, students, employers and graduates to help youth to integrate into the labour market and develop professional career as well as providing career and psychological support), virtual Career day 2021 https://www.rtu.lv/en

State Employment Agency (support services for unemployed adults and job seekers), e-learning modules https://www.nva.gov.lv/en

CV-Online Latvia SIA (recruitment company), CV.lv online job portal https://cv.lv/en/

IT Education Foundation, startdesign.lv – online course about design thinking and digital books for Design and technology https://www.startdesign.lv/

These inspiring practices will work as a great base for MOTIV-ACTION learning modules and tools to use to increase the job opportunities for unemployed adults. Learn more about the practices.